Never Again
by youreconfusingme
Summary: The Hogwarts Castle is under attack by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. How do you survive when the one you love has already died?


**Never Again**

The Hogwarts Castle was shaking and threatening to fall off. Jets of light were shooting everywhere. In the middle of a corridor were a group of people, firing out spells at each other, aiming to kill.

_I have to fight back!_ Screamed a voice inside Angelina Johnson's head. She was trying to curse a hooded Death Eater that was firing off hexes everywhere. His mask came off and revealed a maniacal face—Dolohov. Dolohov sent a stunning spell at her and Angelina ducked it. Then, more of an instinct, Angelina bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!" and sent Dolohov lying flat on his face, dead.

Angelina was shaking. It was the fourth time that night that she had dueled to kill—and Dolohov was the second Death Eater that she had successfully struck down. She looked around her: her best friend, Alicia Spinnet, was sending a Cruciatus Curse to another Death Eater who was laughing and taunting her. To her right was Katie Bell, another Quidditch teammate. Her wand had lain forgotten on the floor and instead she was tackling a hooded but unmasked Death Eater to the floor, punching every bit of flesh she could with her well-practiced knuckles. Angelina almost smiled. _Oliver Wood would have been proud of his old Quidditch team_, she thought. Then she remembered that she had to help her friends.

Angelina screamed, "Avada Kedavra!" just as Alicia bellowed "Crucio!" with pure clarity. The Death Eater flailed wildly for a second, then dropped dead at their feet. Alicia and Angelina smirked at each other and ran to help Katie Bell. The Death Eater that she was tackling was lying on the floor, his face bloody and swollen. His wand was lying beside him, broken in half. Katie looked smug. Pointing her wand at the Death Eater's chest, she bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!" The Death Eater lay unconscious. Katie stood up, panting, and smirked at Alicia and Angelina—it was time for them to go to a different location.

The girls ran down a staircase and came to a halt in front of a suit of armor. There were Oliver Wood, their former Quidditch captain, Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas, and Luna Lovegood. Each were fighting a different Death Eater except Luna, who was helping Dean in a particularly large one. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all ran forward to come to their aid. Oliver looked relieved to see them and Lee Jordan winked at them before turning to stun his Death Eater.

Angelina sent a Cruciatus Curse at the Death Eater that Dean and Luna were fighting but missed. Her curse blasted off the wall behind the Death Eater and he almost fell.

"Avada—''

"Avada Kedavra!"

The Death Eater dropped dead. Dean and Angelina looked around to see a panting Luna. She looked quite demented with her protuberant eyes bulging. She was staring back at them with an expression that clearly showed confusion.

From behind them came a blood-curdling scream—Oliver's Death Eater had Katie pinned to a wall and was choking her. Lee Jordan jabbed the Death Eater with his wand at the side and she dropped Katie. Then Oliver croaked, "Obliviate!" and pointed his wand at the Death Eater. Her look quickly changed into a vacant, dreamy one as she slumped down on the wall to the floor. Oliver, looking enraged at the Death Eater that choked Katie, killed the Death Eater and threw her through the hole that Angelina's curse made. He then made a mad dash to Katie and hugged her as if he would never let go.

A gurgling noise from behind interrupted the moment—Lee Jordan's stunned Death Eater was stirring. Angelina raised her wand to kill him, but Lee beat her to it.

"Avada Kedavra."

There was a burst of green light from Lee's wand and it hit the Death Eater squarely on the chest. Angelina grinned. But her grin quickly faded when a disembodied voice filled the castle and the grounds eerily. It made the hairs on the back of their necks stand.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour to hand Harry Potter over, or the battle recommences. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured…"

One hour, Angelina thought. How many else had suffered? Who were dead?

Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Oliver, Dean, Lee Jordan and Luna looked at each other. Luna muttered in a would-be positive voice, "Come on. I can't wait to see everybody. I bet they're all in the Great Hall…"

The group traipsed down the spiral staircase and into the Great Hall. Angelina distinctly heard Luna give a strangled gasp. Half the Hall was filled with injured people and Healers, and another part of it with dead people.

Angelina scanned the room grimly. She spotted a bleeding Professor McGonagall, and beside her was Seamus Finnigan, scarred and blood-spattered. A limping Cho Chang was there as well and a heavily bandaged Ernie MacMillan, who was supporting Hannah Abbot. It was as if she were on a never-ending movie. When she finally turned her attention on the dead bodies lying a few feet beside her, Angelina uttered a small scream: there, a few yards before her, was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they ever had, lying as if he were asleep. Beside him was his wife, Nymphadora Tonks. A few rows in front was Colin Creevey, his young face scarred and scratched and his eyes closed peacefully. And beside him was a red-headed family with whom she recognized as Hermione Granger and Harry Potter himself. The Weasleys seemed to be crying over someone lying on the hard, cold floor.

Who had died?

Slowly, as if in a trance, Angelina dragged herself toward the Weasleys. She could clearly see Mrs Weasley sobbing and rocking back and forth; Mr Weasley patting her back consolingly while wiping his own bitter tears away. Bill Weasley, meanwhile, was hugging his younger brother Percy, who was crying loudly and shamelessly like a child; Charlie was patting a pale Ron on the back; Harry was staring pensively on the head that was on George's arms; and Hermione and Ginny were crying on each other's arms.

As she drew nearer the mourning family, Angelina could make out the head in George's arms. It had the same red hair and its face was a mirror-image of George Weasley—her ex-boyfriend, Fred Weasley.

Angelina's head was spinning. Her vision became suddenly blurred. _This can't be happening!_ She felt like screaming—screaming till her throat hurt too much that she couldn't scream anymore. Angelina dropped to her knees at Fred's side, staring at his worn but friendly features—the face she had known for so long, had admired. Could this lifeless creature in the ground be really him?

Fred's last laugh was still imprinted on his face. Angelina's heart ached to think that that smile would never be staring at her again. Never again would she see Fred look at her affectionately or sheepishly. Never again could she laugh and kid with him after a particularly good joke.

Never again…these words seemed to be stuck on Angelina's head that she couldn't think straight. How could it be that Fred had reassured her only hours ago that he still loved her and cared about her, even if they had already broken up?

She didn't notice that she, too, was shaking and that Lee Jordan had put a comforting arm around her, joining them at Fred's side. All Angelina could think about is Fred and his untimely death. The Fred Weasley that she had loved since their third year at Hogwarts.

"I love you, Fred," she whispered. "You're still the best guy ever and I will always, always be yours. Your Angelina."

After the last words escaped her lips, Angelina felt a warm breath on her ear where Fred always loved to whisper words of love and encouragement. Right then, she knew that Fred would always look after her.

_**I Miss You**_

_I miss you, I miss you smile_

_And I still shed the tears_

_Every once and a while_

_And even though it's different now_

_You're still here somehow_

_My heart won't let you go_

_And I need you to know,_

_I miss you_


End file.
